Saving Snape
by Sigyn Laufeyson
Summary: Hermione decides to use the last Time-Turner to save her husband


Alone. I walked amongst the dead and injured that littered the Great Hall. The war was over sure but at what cost? My husband's body lay on a table ontop of the stage were the teachers usually ate. Nobody had an appetite.

"I'm sorry 'ermone"

I gave Hagrid a sad smile and reached out to squeeze his hand as I passed, or rather his hand engulfed mine. When I made my way slowly, tenitively over to the dark lump that lay on top the teachers eating table. I bent down to kiss his lifeless lips which were blue and cold now. I pressed his hand to my cheek.

"Severus," I cried his name, "You're so cold." Tears began to stream down my cheeks and nose to pelt the clay that lay beneath me that used to be his skin. No one bothered me though I was aware that every one could hear me bellow and mourn for the fallen Headmaster. Some people joined with my sobs for their own dead while others collapsed under the weight of their own grief and misery.

"Hermione..."

I looked up at him. I could have sworn I heard his voice, "Severus?" I asked as I laid my hand on his chest but his chest remained still, "Just wishful thinking." I told myself. "The spot were my hand lay felt weird like a stiff; thin; square she reached into his robes and pulled out an envelope with her nickname scrawled in his beautiful handwriting, he must've studied calligraphy when he was younger, it was just too perfect. It was sealed and stamped with an "S" I wanted to be careful, but at the same time she was dying to know what was inside. I was, at the moment, without a letter-opener I slid my finger under the wax stamped "S" The flap raised up a millimeter.

I opened the envelope to reveal a small, silver, hour glass pendent on a matching silver chain, "What?" I've seen all the time-turners destroyed. I looked inside the envelope again and slide out the note he'd jotted on some parchment.

"I love you, Butterfly and if you're reading this I am no longer with you and I want you to know that I was happy every second with you even if I couldn't show it. If this war hadn't killed you already I've included a small gift to help you I think you know what to do with this since you've used one before."

I remembered lying on our bed watching him as he wrote, "When are you coming to bed?" I asked irritated.

He sighed at the question, "When I'm done just go to sleep."

"Can't sleep without you."

He stopped writing for a moment and leaned back in his chair. He put his quill back into the ink well on his desk.

As soon as she heard the scratching stop Hermione asked, "Are you finished?"

"For now."

"What were you doing anyway?"

"Grading Mid-Terms."

I knew it was lie but a comfortable lie was better that the harsh truth, "So how'd I do?"

"Are you asking me as your husband or your teacher?"

"Well, do I get two different answers?"

"Well, as an educator, I'd say you've done horrible work, Mrs. Snape." A smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh no." She played along. "is there anything I can do to raise it."

We just looked at each other and after a long pause he asked, "Your grade?"

I smiled. "My grade."

"Sorry, Mrs. Snape, once they go into the grade book . It's final."

"Okay what would my husband say?"

"Let me take your mind of things."

My mood shifted as my smile faded, "Promise?"

He brushed my hair out of my eyes and hovered over me while positioning himself between my thighs, "I can try?"

I put my arms around his neck. I missed that, where everything that was wrong could be fixed in his arms.

I bent over him and kissed Severus's forehead. "I know what to do."

I, then, slipped the necklace over my head and after a last look around she wound the Time-Turner, one turn for each hour I wanted to go back, slowly the castle emptied and Severus's body disappeared. She ran to the hospital wing.

Nurse witches were busy bustling around with their too few patents to worry about me. In a mad dash I searched the shelves for something I wasn't even sure Hogwarts had but when I learnt in Care of Magical Creatures class how powerful medicinal properties of Mermaid's Tears I figured Hogwarts had to have it.

I found a small vial which were labeled Mermaid Tears I wrapped my palm around the vial and ran hard to the greenhouses. Damn, Voldemort was still there talking to Severus. Ducking down outta-sight I peeked though the windows every now and then. The greenhouse was almost barren of any plants, Professor Sprout was not around to lend her green thumbs to keep the plants alive and thriving.

I could hear the two of them talking.

"Severus..." Voldemort hissed like the gigantic snake that slithered on his shoulders.

"My Lord?"

I gasped I had never expected to hear his voice again.

"Was the task I gave you too complicated?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why is that Mudblood still alive? I gave her to you so she'd die at the precise moment that would give me the advantage over Harry Potter and yet the Mudblood lives."

"She is more cunning then I expected."

Voldemort shook his bald; misshapen; head and sighed, "I should have given the little Mudblood to Draco Malfoy the Malfoy's know there place and here you stand. You, who disobeys me, my most troubled acolyte. You who fell in love with that Mudblood do not dent it and now it is you who stands in my way to ultimate victory?"

"My Lord?"

The Elder wand, Dumbledore's wand, will not submit to me because I am not it's Master." His snake-eyes seemed to glow with hate and malice, "You killed Dumbledore that night in the tower which means the wand recognizes you as it's Master but I must have control so your usefulness to me as run it's coarse." He lifted his wand and slashed the air between them. In one elegant moment it was over and in the horror of the moment the gigantic snake Nagini slithered off Voldemort's shoulders towards Severus.

Was she going to swallow him? That didn't happen the first time I steeled her nerves as I readied my own wand. I knew doing anything to the snake would give me away but I already lost Severus once tonight I will not lose him again but in the end Voldemort padded his leg like he was calling back a dog.

"Nagini."

The snake stopped and looked up at her deformed Master.

"Leave him." There was a moment of silence and then Voldemort spoke again, "I know, you don't like to waste food but we got what we came for besides we have things to do and I don't want you be sluggish because your eighty-two kilogram wizard in your gut."

I watched as the snake slithered back into it's place on his shoulders.

"After we take care of things I'll let you eat your fill." He soothed the snake.

I am so happy Neville cuts your head off. I wanted to say but I bit back my tongue. My focus right now was Severus everything else has to fall away but Voldemort thinks he weighs eighty-two kilos. He must've lost forty-five kilograms easily he barely eats anymore.

"Oh no." I heard my own voice. I saw myself; Harry and Ron walked in. However I remained crouched I had to let this play out again and listen to his dying words again. I listened to my own wails of grief and I had to put my own hand over my mouth to keep my own voice down.

"Severus..." Past Hermione wailed.

"Hermione..." Severus said barely above a whisper.

"You can't leave me."

"It'll be okay." Severus said brokenly.

"Never..."

"Hermione? Remember?"

"What?"

"Hermione," Ron stressed.

"Severus? Remember what?"

"We were happy."

"Always."

"Hermione, come on." Harry grabbed her shoulder.

"NO!" Past Hermione protested holding onto Severus's hand.

I watched as Harry yanked me up still sobbing. Only when they were all gone did I come out of her hiding place I knelt by Severus's fallen body I reached to feel for a pulse it was weak but it was there. She pulled the cork from the glass vial and as she poured the substance in his mouth and rubbed his throat to get him to swallow. He did, it was a waiting game now. She held his hand to her face hoping against hope.

"Butterfly?" She heard Severus call her by his nickname for her.

"Severus." She peered down at his slit eyes, "Hi."

"You have to go

I shook my head, "I found your time-turner," My hand fished for the pendent around my neck and showed him the tiny hourglass pendent, "it's over Voldemort is dead."

"You came back?"

"Of course I came back."

"Why? I mean, you were free."

Hermione shook her head and tried to smile a little, "Without you? I can never be Free."

"How many?"

"Don't do that to yourself." I said as I shook my head and I checked his heartbeat before I helped him to his feet. His heart beat strongly as his throat showed no sign of being cut. I smiled as he took her wrist as kissed the inside of my wrist. His eyes traveled up my arm and ran his thumb over the Label that Bellatrix craved slowly into my arm, Mudblood.

"Come on."

"What did you give me?"

"Mermaid Tears."

I ducked down and peered was no sign of Voldemort or the snake coming back. "Okay it's a straight shot to Hagrid's corral." I said out loud, "Then we get a Hippogriff and go home. Stay low." I gave him the slightest of nods, "Ready?"

He snaked his arm and wrist around hers and in the blink of an eye we were flying. It was Apparation but not Aparation at the same time. I felt and heard the air humming past my ears but all around us an inky, black, shadowy, stain was carrying them. I saw this before when he escaped the castle earlier that night. When the shadowy veil lifted off of us then I saw the meadow with the lone, orange, tree.

I looked at him and shook my head, "Show off." I muttered and started to walk towards the tree.

"What?" Severus asked hoisting his shoulders.

"The plan would have worked."

He smiled a bit, "Was it though?"

"It worked before." I muttered under my breath.

"Young Witches." He said in an exasperated sigh, "you seem to always make things harder than they need to be."

"But you still love me"

Sexerus grinned, "Is it that obvious?"

"Maybe only to me." I grabbed his hand and started walking lazily to the lonely orange tree in the field but as we walked I could tell that there was a question in his heart and mind, "Yes...Severus...What is it?"

So, why did you come back to save me? There must've been plenty others who deserved to be saved more than me you could have took the Time-turners power to save someone else."

"There were others who died."

"So? Why me?" I looked at him, "I couldn't tell you before but-" I pressed his hand against my stomach. His face fell instantly as he lifted her shirt and pressed his palm against my stomach.

Finally, after he felt our baby move his eyes softened and he smiled slightly.

"I'll call you Dragonfly." He said out loud but I knew he wasn't talking to me.

"Dragonfly Snape... Well, we can talk names later."

Severus chased me and Dragonfly into the door, into the trunk of the tree, that opened into the peculiar house that looked like an ordinary orange tree from the outside.


End file.
